Dangote Industries Limited has announced the creation of 65,000 new construction jobs as part of its plan to expand the Dangote Refinery from 650,000 barrels per day (BPD) to 1.4 million barrels per day (BPD).
Speaking during a media briefing at the refinery complex in Lekki, Lagos, Group President Aliko Dangote said the expansion reflects strong confidence in Nigeria’s industrial potential and aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision to achieve full domestic refining and export of finished petroleum products.
“We are expanding the Dangote Refinery from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day. Upon completion, it will be the largest in the world,” Dangote said. “This expansion reflects our belief in Nigeria’s capacity to shape its own energy future.”
According to him, the second phase of construction will create more than 65,000 direct and indirect jobs, making it one of the largest private-sector employment projects in Africa.
He revealed that over 85 percent of the workforce will be Nigerian, strengthening local content participation and deepening technology transfer.
“In the first phase, we employed more than 50,000 Nigerians,” Dangote stated. “This new expansion will not only create thousands of additional jobs but will also equip our engineers and technicians with advanced industrial skills. This is about building capacity and confidence in our people.”
He added that the company’s engineers have proven capable of executing complex global projects, showing that Africa possesses both the human capital and technical strength to build world-class infrastructure.
Dangote also commended the Federal Government and its agencies for their support, especially in resolving earlier operational disruptions linked to union activities and sabotage attempts.
He credited the success to coordinated interventions by the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services, and the Ministries of Finance, Labour, and National Planning.
He described the expansion as a bold step toward Nigeria’s economic transformation, noting that the project is backed by the government’s Naira-for-crude policy and the new committee established to streamline domestic crude allocation.
The initiative is expected to strengthen energy security and reduce the nation’s dependence on imported petroleum products.
